Becoming a Legend

by Sarah Robinson

  “I’m friends with the trainer in charge of the sea lions, and they’re feeding right now. Would you want to go help with that?” Donavan asked them as they circled back toward the sea lion exhibit.

  Nora’s eyes went huge. “No!”

  “Really, kitty? I thought you loved sea lions?” Kane asked.

  “No, I mean, yes! Yes, of course I want to feed the sea lions!” Nora had released his hand and was clapping now, practically jumping up and down with excitement. Kane laughed at her.

  “I think that’s a yes then, D.”

  They reached the sea lion exhibit, where a tall blonde smiled at them and motioned them over to her. Standing on a platform positioned directly over the water’s edge, she wore oversized boots that went up past her knees and gripped a big bucket of dead fish.

  Kane helped Nora up onto the platform, and held her tightly.

  They greeted the trainer, who showed them the correct procedure for feeding the sea lions, and, thrilled, Nora dropped fish after fish into the mouths of the hungry mammals. She even got the chance to pet one of them. His fur felt a bit like that of a wet dog, soft and slick, and he barked to give her a show. The trainer was able to coax the sea lions to do a few tricks, and by the time Kane and Nora left the zoo, she was on a total high.

  “Kane, thank you,” Nora sighed as they walked to the car, his arm over her shoulders. “That was seriously the best first date ever.”

  “It’s not over yet, kitty. Aren’t you hungry?”

  “If you take me to the taco place now, I’m going to slap you,” Nora joked.

  “Oh no, we’re never going back there. No need, especially since I have this key chain to remember it by,” he said with a laugh, holding up his keys and dangling them at her so she could see the yellow taco.

  Nora laughed, and they reached the car. Opening her door for her, he kissed her softly as she got in, and she felt as if she were floating. Ever since his fight a few days before and their return to Woodlawn, she and Kane had been attached at the hip. News had spread like wildfire of their relationship, probably in part because their kiss in the cage right after the fight had been highly publicized, but also because Woodlawn loved any story about the Kavanaghs. They were hometown celebrities, and people always wanted the latest scoop.

  Nora didn’t mind, though, because she wanted the world to know that Kane was hers and she was his. They’d spent a long time dancing around what they both really wanted, and nothing was going to get in their way now. Not even Lachlan, who had delivered on his word and e-mailed the photos of her to her dean.

  She’d gotten an angry phone call from Dean Spoto the following morning, and Nora had pleaded with her to understand the situation. After a lengthy conversation, during which Nora had explained the full truth to the dean about why she’d needed the job, she’d earned a slight reprieve.

  The college officials were definitely still upset at her, and they were requiring her to take another course on ethics and professionalism, which would delay her graduation by yet another semester. But thankfully, the private scholarship had come through before the pictures had been sent, and with that she had secured another year of funding if she needed it. Otherwise, the dean had been pretty forgiving about the situation, and she had even—unofficially—expressed her sympathy that Nora had been put in such a situation to begin with.

  As for Lachlan, Seamus had tracked down his family and warned them to stay away from her and all the Kavanaghs.

  Kane climbed in the driver’s side of the car and steered them to a small Irish restaurant on the outskirts of Woodlawn, one that was very private and dimly lit. They talked and ate, enjoying the process of getting to know even more about each other.

  He told her about the lizards he used to hide under his bed when he was growing up, and how he loved hearing his mom scream when she found them. She confided in him how she had first met Fiona on a playground by their homes when another kid had pushed her down and Fiona had defended her, creating an instant friendship between them.

  He laughed when he recounted his first professional fight, and how badly he’d lost to an opponent who still rubbed it in his face regularly—Quinn. Nora was surprised to learn his younger brother, and manager, was also a fighter. She’d only ever seen him on the business end of things, but Kane assured her that Q packed a punch when he wanted to.

  “Kane, that was amazing,” Nora said with a sigh as they stepped out of the restaurant, full of both delicious food and happy conversation. “Probably the best first date I’ve ever had.”

  Kane lifted one brow. “Probably? Oh, kitty, surely we can do better than that.”

  She laughed and pushed up on her toes to kiss him. “Okay, hands down the best first date of all time.”

  “That’s more like it,” he replied, not letting her go as he kissed her again. His lips were somehow hard and soft at the same time, and he kissed her with such passion, she wasn’t sure where one of them ended and the other began. Her arms lifted around his neck, anchoring to him for support, as he encircled her back with his own.

  “Maybe it’s not over yet?” she asked breathlessly, between kisses.

  Kane looked at her seriously for a moment, fingering her cheek with his thumb as he caressed her. “Kitty, this is never going to be over.”

  She blushed, her heart pounding at his words. “Kane…”

  “No, I’m serious, Nora,” he insisted. “I let you go once, and I’m not one to repeat my mistakes. As long as you’ll have me, I’m yours.”

  Nora kissed him again, a small peck on his cheek this time before she pulled him toward the car. “I was talking about tonight.”

  She winked at him, and he quickly picked up her meaning.

  “Oh, kitty, this date isn’t going to be over until tomorrow morning…and probably not even then.”

  He helped her into the car like the gentleman he was, but the look on his face and the bulge in his pants said he had only one thing on his mind—which was fine with her, because she had the same thing on hers. They arrived back at his apartment at breakneck speed, and he grabbed her hand and led her up the stairs.

  The moment they were inside and behind his locked front door, Kane pushed her against it and kissed her…hard. There was no mistaking his hunger for her as his tongue slid into her mouth and they devoured each other. Gripping her hands, he pressed them against the wood door on either side above her head, while his mouth roamed the rest of her.

  Nora squirmed beneath him, her body aching with need.

  “Kane, let’s go to the bedroom,” she gasped.

  He nodded, his eyes hooded as he pulled her through the front hall and into his room. When they got to the bed, he sat on the edge and watched her. Nora bit her lip as she hooked her fingers in the front of her jeans and shimmied them down her legs slowly.

  Neither one said anything, their eyes glued to each other. Kane stood and removed his shirt. Nora’s eyes dipped down to his chiseled chest and perfectly defined abs, a hunger inside her that dinner had not filled. She felt an ache in her core as she took in his muscled arms and broad shoulders. Kane was truly a fighter, in every way, and his body was a prime example of that.

  As Nora gripped the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head, he disappeared from her view for just a moment. When the shirt was off, she tossed it to the floor and slid her tongue across her bottom lip.

  Kane growled, a low rumble in his chest as his eyes swept over her body. She stood nervously in a bra and panties, waiting for him to have his fill. When his gaze finally returned to hers, he unbuttoned his pants and stepped out of them, leaving him only in boxers.

  And she couldn’t wait to get him out of them.

  “Come here, kitty,” he instructed, his voice so commanding that it made her skin shiver in excitement. He sat back down on the edge of the bed and motioned her to come to him.

  Nora stepped forward, and he reached for her, but she stayed just out of his reach. A naughty grin spread over his face as
he tilted his head to the side. “I said, come here, kitty.”

  “Oh, I plan on coming,” she teased, reaching behind her body to unfasten her bra. She pulled down one strap, and then the other, then let the rest of the bra loosen and fall to her feet. His eyes widened as he stared at her breasts, and another low groan escaped from his lips.

  Trailing her hands down her body, she slid two fingers into either side of her panties and pushed them down her thighs, until they, too, were in a small heap at her feet. Completely naked now, she let her hands trail back up her stomach to her breasts. Kane visibly gulped as she cupped her breasts with both hands, letting her thumbs and index fingers find her nipples.

  She squeezed, gently at first, but as confidence swept through her, she tugged brazenly on the hard pink buds. Kane stood, his eyes pure flames as he stepped out of his boxers and reached for her hands. Pulling her fingers away, he replaced them with his mouth, first claiming one nipple and then the other.

  Nora moaned as he sucked on her breasts, alternating between gently licking her nipples and pulling them into his mouth. The sensation heated her entire body, and she molded against him until he was sitting on the edge of the bed once more and she was in his lap. His face was still buried in her chest, while she held on to his shoulders and pressed her hips down against him.

  There was no mistaking how hard he was, and the moment she started grinding against his thighs, he was pressing against her entrance. Nora reached down between them and gripped his shaft. He moaned against her breasts, biting down hard into the side of her right breast, then finding her nipple again and sucking it into his mouth.

  She ran her palm up and down the length of him, continually impressed by how large he was. Her core was pulsing, and she could already tell she was completely drenched as a result of his attention to her nipples. Not wanting to wait any longer, she shifted her weight slightly, guiding him between her legs until he was positioned at her entrance.

  She was so wet that his tip slid in automatically, and she tightened around him.

  “Nora,” he growled, releasing her nipple and finding her mouth.

  He kissed her hard, his hand on the back of her head as she pushed down on top of him. His entire length slid inside her, and she gasped against his lips.

  “Fuck, kitty, you’re so wet,” he said, reaching around behind her and cupping her bottom with both hands. She pushed up on her knees ever so slightly, then down again as he thrust in and out of her. He gripped her cheeks and guided her up and down with more speed and intensity, and she bounced on his lap.

  It seemed as if he plunged deeper inside her with each thrust as they sat facing each other, lips tangled together, and they came closer and closer to the brink of ecstasy.

  “I’m so close,” she gasped, feeling her body tremble, tantalizingly close to coming.

  “Come for me, kitty,” he instructed, slipping a hand between their bodies and finding her clit. He rubbed it hard with three fingers, then massaged it with little circles as he continued to thrust in and out of her. “Right now, Nora. Come for me.”

  She moaned, her head fell backward, and her body began to clench around him. A spasm shot through her as the sensations became too much, and a powerful climax tore through her.

  “Oh!” she screamed, as he slammed her down on top of his length one last time before she felt him release inside her.

  Kane grunted, his head buried in her neck, and he bit down on her shoulder. “Shit, Nora…”

  They continued to sit on the edge of the bed, chest to chest, him deep inside her still, as they slowly waited for the waves of pleasure to subside. Nora wrapped her arms around Kane’s neck and lay her head on his shoulder; she hugged him and sighed happily. He kissed her neck and hugged her back, keeping his arms wrapped as tightly around her as possible.

  “I love you, kitty,” he whispered against her skin.

  Content and growing sleepy, she felt her heart warming, and she whispered back, “I love you, Kane.”

  He stroked her hair and gently pulled her with him farther onto the bed. They curled up under the covers, her back to his chest, his arms gently wrapped around her.

  She felt herself drift off to sleep, but the last thing she heard before everything faded away was Kane whispering in her ear, “I’m all-strings-attached, Nora. And I always will be.”

  To my dear friend, Nathalie Wisecup. They say friendships that last seven years will last a lifetime. I don’t know who “they” are, but it’s officially been seven years! Welcome to the big leagues.

  #KeelyWisedUp

  Acknowledgments

  To have typed “the end” on the third Kavanagh book feels completely unreal to me. When I consider the fact that this is the ninth book on which I’ve typed “the end,” and I’m pretty sure I’ve just made it all up in my head. Which, technically, is exactly what happened.

  I can’t wait to bring you tatted, motorcycle-riding Quinn Kavanagh’s story next; everyone has been asking me about him for three books now. His story is so unique, and heartbreaking, that I’m positive you will all fall as in love with him as I am.

  With nine books under my belt, I’ve realized that it truly does take a village. I may be the one writing the words on the page, but the amount of time and love others put into my career to help me succeed is the greatest gift in my life. There are so many people I have to thank for that, and I’ll do my best to get them all in here, but if I have forgotten someone, know I still love you!

  To Nicole Resciniti, my wonderful agent and role model. The fierce, yet graceful, way you handle everything in your life makes you one of the people I admire most. I’m so blessed to have you in my corner, fighting all the battles I’m too timid to handle. I am so unbelievably excited for your new journey into motherhood and can’t wait to spoil your beautiful baby with tons of love and gifts!

  To Sue Grimshaw, Gina Wachtel, Ashleigh Heaton, and Ericka Seyfried, and to everyone else on my insanely talented publishing team at Penguin Random House, thank you for all the time and energy you put into my work. It is more appreciated than you’ll ever know.

  To Kay Springsteen Tate, thank you for helping me polish this baby to perfection! You not only did so much, so quickly, with no complaint, but you eased my bruised ego and brought me back to life. Thank you isn’t enough.

  To the beautiful women I’m lucky enough to call friends. You make my heart happy, and that’s all that really matters in this world. Nicole Tesch, my college roommate, who knows too much for me to cross; Amy Huppert, my ex-boss and new mama to one of my favorite little boys; and Nathalie Wisecup, the girl I fell in love with when she got lost in the woods. I love you, ladies!

  To all the authors whom I’ve admired for so long and was blessed with the chance to befriend, I couldn’t ask for a greater support system of peers. Lavinia Kent, thank you for letting me steal your name and for going the extra mile to make me feel loved. Jessica Lemmon, Lauren Layne, and the rest of my Seymour Sibs, I feel as if we’re a group of sisters connected in so many ways, and I love it. Rachel van Dyken, you frighten and inspire me with how much you’re capable of. Tracy Wolff, you picked me up when I was down, and that level of kindness has forever changed my heart. Christi Barth, I admire you more than words can ever say and owe you all my gratitude.

  To Holly Morales, we had so many good years together, and I can’t possibly thank you enough. To the rest of my readers in Robinson’s Rockstars, I couldn’t do any of this without you guys. Your support and love mean the world to me. It keeps me going when things are overwhelming, and it brings joy to my life to call so many of you close friends. Keep doing what you’re doing, because I adore each and every one of you.

  And last but never least, to my husband, Justin, thank you for all the time and energy you put into my books and my dreams. It means the world to me, and I love you more and more every day for it.

  BY SARAH ROBINSON

  Kavanagh Legends

  Breaking a Legend

 
Saving a Legend

  Becoming a Legend

  Chasing a Legend (coming soon)

  The Photographer Trilogy

  Tainted Bodies

  Tainted Pictures

  Untainted

  Forbidden Rockers

  Logan’s Story: A Prequel

  Her Forbidden Rockstar

  Rocker Christmas: A Novella

  Standalones

  Not a Hero: A Bad Boy Marine Romance

  PHOTO: VALERIE BEY PHOTOGRAPHY

  SARAH ROBINSON is the bestselling author of the Kavanagh Legends series, The Photographer Trilogy, and the Sand & Clay rock star series. A native of Washington, D.C., Robinson has both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal psychology. She is newly married to a wonderful man who is just as much of an animal rescue enthusiast as she is. Together, they own a zoo of rescue and foster animals.

  Want more from author Sarah Robinson?

  Facebook.com/​booksbysarahrobinson

  @booksby_sarah

  Instagram.com/​booksbysarahrobinson

  pinterest.com/​sarahkaterobins

  plus.google.com/​u/0/​+SarahRobinsonbooksbysarah/​posts

  booksbysarah.tumblr.com

  booksbysarahrobinson.net

  Newsletter

  Fan Club

  Read on for an excerpt from

  Chasing a Legend

  Kavanagh Legends

  by Sarah Robinson

  Coming soon from Loveswept

  Prologue

  FIVE MONTHS AGO